Where do Arsenal need to strengthen?

Arsenal were not too busy in the summer transfer window. Although the Gunners let a number of players leave, including Daniel Crowley, Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the North London outfit signed only two players. Arsenal recruited 24-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina left-back Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer and recruited 26-year-old France international striker Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon for a transfer fee of £46.5 million.

While Manchester City spent a lot of money and so did Chelsea, Arsenal erred on the side of caution and made the bare minimum signings. And that shows in their results so far. Arsene Wenger’s side are already out of the Premier League title race, and just like last season, they are going to find it hard to finish in the top four. True, the Gunners have booked their place in the round-of-32 stage of the Europa League, but it is a knockout competition and is actually more competitive and much harder to win the Champions League.

The Gunners do have a decent team and they should be challenging for the Champions League places until the end of the season, but for Arsenal to start genuinely competing for the Premier League title, they need better players. The North London outfit have a superb striker in Lacazette and there is also Olivier Giroud, who knows the Premier League inside out and is doing well as a substitute at the moment. If Arsenal are able to tie down Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to long-term contracts, then they will have two of the best attacking players on their books for a long time. If Aaron Ramsey adds consistency to his game and steps up in big matches, Santi Cazorla regains his fitness and Granit Xhaka is able to make tackles, then that will be central midfield sorted. Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny are two very good central defenders, while Kolasinac is a brilliant left-back.

Signing a new goalkeeper

One area that Arsenal should look at is between the sticks. Petr Cech is the first-choice goalkeeper at the Gunners, but at the age of 35, the former Czech Republic international is past his prime. There is real competition to the former Chelsea star at the Emirates Stadium, and it is clear that he will play regularly for Arsenal even if he makes mistakes. Cech’s performances so far this season have not been exactly great, leading Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher to claim that he is now just a good goalkeeper, having been earlier a great goalkeeper. The 35-year-old made a blunder against Manchester City in the Gunners’ 3-1 loss at the hands of Manchester City, which suggests that it is time for the North London outfit to start looking for a new custodian.

There are not too many great goalkeepers available, but one who could be is Jan Oblak. No, Atletico Madrid are not going to sell Oblak in the January transfer window, but things could change at the end of the season. The Spanish giants are out of the Champions League this season and are unlikely to win the La Liga title. Oblak has been on the books of Atletico since 2014 and is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The Slovenia international would be a great signing for Arsenal, even if the Gunners have to shell out £30 or £40 million. There could be competition for the former Benfica star next summer and the 24-year-old may need convincing to join the Gunners, but the North London outfit must do whatever needed to secure his services. Just like Chelsea did when they had to choose between Thibaut Courtois and Cech, Arsenal must look at the youngster option and look to the future. When watching football, one can always bet on Slovenia international goalkeeper Oblak making one or two world-class saves, and if Arsenal can snare him, then they can rest assured that they will have a very competent goalkeeper in the team for years to come.

Signing a new right-back

Another area that may not look necessary but could well be is the right-back position. Hector Bellerin is one of the best right-backs in the Premier League and is the first choice at Arsenal at the moment, but there are doubts over him. The 22-year-old has improved massively over the past few years, but the Spain international defender can be a bit hit and miss. Moreover, Bellerin has been linked with moves away from the Emirates Stadium, with Premier League club Manchester City and La Liga outfit Barcelona both claimed to be interested in him. If Arsenal fail to win trophies or at least challenge for them, then it is only a matter of time before the Spaniard is tempted with moves away from the North London club.

Then there is also the small matter of a lack of competition for the right-back spot at the Emirates Stadium. Mathieu Debuchy is a recognised and well-established right-back, but the 32-year-old France international is nowhere in the picture. There have been injury concerns over the former Newcastle United star during his time at Arsenal, and he has also been out on loan at Bordeaux. Calum Chambers, 22, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 20, can operate as right-backs, but their best positions are elsewhere. Carl Jenkinson is an out-and-out right-back, but the 25-year-old does not seem to have a long-term future at Arsenal. The England international has been out on loan for the past three seasons and is currently at Birmingham City in the Championship.

Arsenal were strongly linked with a move for Djibril Sidibe in the summer of 2017, and it would not be a bad idea for the Gunners to make a move for the AS Monaco right-back next summer. Monaco are out of the Champions League and are very unlikely to win the Ligue 1 title this season, meaning that the 25-year-old France international could be tempted to switch clubs. Sidibe is the quintessential modern full-back with pace, good touch, good crossing ability and stamina to run up and down the pitch. During the 2016-17 campaign, the Frenchman scored two goals and provided five assists in 26 La Liga appearances for Monaco. Although Sidibe does have issues with the defensive side of things – he can find himself out of position when defending – there are other sides of his game that compensate for that, such as being as bullish and strong as a full-back can be during one-on-one situations.

Another potential right-back that Arsenal could look at is Elseid Hysaj of Napoli. The Albania international has been on the books of the Naples outfit since 2015 and is one of the better right-backs in Serie A. The 23-year-old is a ‘complete’ right-back. The youngster defends well and has good positional sense, and he can also contribute in attack. What is remarkable about Hysaj is that he has actually gone from strength to strength with each passing season and is improving all the time. A very balanced and intelligent footballer, Hysaj would cost a lot of money as Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is known to drive a hard bargain, but in the long run it would be worth it for the Gunners.

The problem that Arsenal could face with signing Sidibe or Hysaj is that neither of them would move to a club where they would not be the first choice, or at least not guaranteed to be so. If Bellerin remains at the Emirates Stadium, then the Spaniard would at least start the season as the first choice. Would Wenger be able to keep everyone happy? If Arsenal keep Bellerin, then they should at least target a right-back who can give him competition without being an overwhelming threat to him. Enter Lukasz Piszczek.

Piszczek has been on the books of Borussia Dortmund since 2010 and has a wealth of experience. The Poland international has won the Bundesliga twice and reached the final of the Champions League once, and the 32-year-old would bring with him to the Emirates a winning mentality. With Dortmund struggling to compete with Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig for the Bundesliga title, Arsenal could be able to convince Piszczek to switch clubs next summer, perhaps even in January. A very balanced right-back who knows when to defend and when to attack, the 32-year-old would be a good addition to the current Gunners’ team and would force Bellerin to step up his game and be consistent.

Optimism

Arsenal fans have become disillusioned with the current state of affairs, and one can understand their frustrations. The last time the North London outfit won the Premier League title was way back in 2004, and with the way Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are going, it is hard to see the Gunners conquering England anytime soon. However, that should not deter manager Arsene Wenger from making new signings next summer and strengthening his side. Arsenal are still a big club and can attract big names, and fans want the club to show ambition, both on the pitch and off it.

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